Ricardo's low. He can admit that. Training is alright, but it had re-awoken his competitive nature, left him wanting back in the ring. Had urged him to decide to undo his retirement, if only temporarily. Except that no one seemed terribly interested in booking him, the lack of response on social media, the lack of interest via word of mouth eating at him. Leaves him despondent as the wrestling world cycles on without him. He had forcibly removed himself from it, and now very few seem interested in having him back.
He stares at the ceiling of their apartment, listens to Alicia humming and playing with the puppy. Flat on his back on the couch, only moving enough to breathe or blink. Her smile is tinged with concern when she finds him, rests a hand on the side of his face and strokes his cheek. "Everything ok, Ricardo?"
He wants to lie. Say something that would smooth the worried lines around her nose, but eventually swallows. "No," he admits and she sprawls out next to him, stroking his arm gently. "I've been... trying to get booked, but no one... no one seems to want me on their card. It wasn't... easy or anything after WWE, but it was never this hard." He feels tears sting his eyes and she bites her lip. Leans in to kiss him, softly stroking his face until he calms down, his hitching breaths making it hard for her not to cry with him.
"It's going to be ok, Ricardo. It will." She kisses him again, searching his face. After a few moments, her eyes light up. "I have an idea. I'll be right back." She kisses him again and bounds up, tugging her cell phone out of her pants pocket and dashing into another room.
He can only hear the muffled sound of her voice through the walls so, when she returns and grips his hand, hoisting him up and dragging him to the car, he has no idea where they're going... but he figures it out quickly, turning pale as the streets grow more familiar and the buildings they pass have an eerie kind of sense of home to them. "Alicia, no," he chokes out.
She grips his hand as she maneuvers the steering wheel. "It's fine, it's fine," she soothes him. "Alberto isn't home, neither is Paige. I just... I want to try something."
Sofia greets them, as calm and loving as ever, soothing Ricardo's nerves immediately. "I will be in the kitchen making lemonade if you need me," she says to them, once more smiling at Ricardo. "Enjoy yourself, mi hijo."
He tries to breathe. Tries to nod. Tries to do everything to seem like a proper human. "Gr- gracias, Sofia," he finally says, following Alicia. They go downstairs. Hovers by Alberto's practice ring. "What are... we doing here?"
"No training," Alicia says, abruptly peeling her clothes off to reveal her wrestling gear underneath. He swallows, taking in the sight, as she smirks at him. "You're going to go into the next room and change into some wrestling gear of yours Sofia found in your bedroom, and we're going to have a knock down, drag out wrestling match right here, just the two of us."
Ricardo swallows. Considers arguing with her... but finally squares his shoulders and heads into the room, finding himself staring at old El Local gear. Exhales shudderingly and changes into it, leaving his clothes folded up in a corner. He decides to go all out and even puts the mask on, closing his eyes as he feels more like himself than he has in months. "Hm, hello, old friend," he greets himself before stepping out to face off with her.
Her face lights up as soon as she sees him. "Aha. There's my opponent," she says, shifting forward on one foot to wait for him. He enters the ring and they immediately lock up, not bothering to wait for any sign to begin or anything else. She gets the first offense in, sweeps his legs out from under him and then elbows him in the side of the head, dazing him. He grips her with his legs as she tries to hit a legdrop, using the momentum to send her flying over his prone body where she lands with a thump on the mat. He covers her and she gasps a two count, kicking out and immediately head scissoring him, sending him down to the mat before she pins him to a measly one count, Ricardo smirking as she cries out in frustration, getting up and hitting the ropes to get movement for her scissorkick... but he grabs her and twists her into a pin, not too surprised when she regroups and kicks out at two again.
He retreats, lets her stand, and they circle each other for a moment, both barely sweating, but each looking beyond thrilled to be here, to be doing this. "I've missed this," he shares with her and she pauses. Takes a breath.
"So have I."
He realizes then that it's been awhile for her too, constantly stuck on Noam's arm, and locked in the struggle with Cedric... I should make this special for her then, he thinks, shaking off his lingering ring rust and racing forward to grab her. She grips his arms, and then rolls with it as he presses her into the ropes and then twists her into an armbar. She squirms and writhes, finally fighting free and kicking him square in the face. He goes down and she stops briefly before lunging on him and taking advantage, merely gaining another two count against him. He kicks out with so much strength that it startles her, sends her into the ropes, and he grips her, running her into the ropes before grabbing her around the waist and slamming her backwards, standing on his tippytoes in a bridge pin, achieving the three count.
She slumps to the mat and he rolls next to her, the two of them laying there and panting for breath until she rolls over and gently peels his mask off, grazing her fingers across his face. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" she muses, reflecting on how hard she'd kicked him.
"No," he says, gripping her hand and kissing her fingers. "Did I you?"
She shakes her head. Smiles as she leans over and kisses him. "No more than any other good workout would have." He smiles too, flushing a bit, and she eases closer, kissing him slowly, deeply, her fingers running through his hair. "I love you, Ricardo."
"I love you too," he hums against her lips.
When they get up, neither are surprised to find lemonade waiting for them on the stairwell, both laughing as they change into their clothes and sit on the edge of the ring apron, lightly kicking their feet back and forth and drinking the lemonade. "We should do this more often," Alicia hums, resting her head on Ricardo's shoulder.
He nods. Sips from his glass a bit more. "I'd like that," he agrees.
